Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop
by Cythieus
Summary: Mario sees Peach everyday, but wonders if she is that Peach, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom turned college student. His curiosity is getting to him, but is it too much for him to ask? Coffee Shop Alternate Universe, but still set in the world of the games.


She's studying politics or law and has a well maintained pink streak running through her blonde hair. Several times a week she's in his store and he just avoids talking to her more than is necessary. The patterns all fit the person she's supposed to be: he only ever sees her wearing sundresses and canvas tennis shoes in matching colors, she wears that huge blue necklace all of the time, and he can't see if the crown is tattooed on her shoulder because it would be high enough that a sleeve would cover it.

The Princess, Peach, goes to college in New Donk City. He doesn't know if she has the same nose ring as this girl or if she wears glasses. The royal family has always been protective of their clan and Peach would be no exception to that. She certainly came off as ordinary with her pretty legs pulled up under her chair while she used the eraser end of a mechanical pencil to scratch the back of her knee. And when she smiled at him it seemed genuine and sweet, not the smile he expected to get from the supposed stuck up princess.

For hours she will stay reading her text books and taking notes in college ruled composition books with abstract black and white covers. Mario gives her free refills when the managers aren't looking, though he's sure they know. She only drinks the hazelnut blend that's grown on Yoshi's Island. They'd be dumping out the excess every few hours if she wasn't there.

Peach. He knows her name is Peach. Though she can't be the only person in New Donk or the world with that name. It's a name. He'd met other Marios before. When he steps out to throw some trash in the dumpster and smoke a quick clove he contemplates asking her. _Would it be that odd? She must get it all of the time?_

"Are you that Peach?" The words leave his mouth in the empty alley between coffee shop and hookah place that's closed most of the day. Rain has been a mainstay the last few weeks and the water brings with it little clumps of dirt and pollen that wash back into the narrow passageway and line the sides of the buildings; he snuffs his cigarette out in this wet debris and flings it into the dumpster with the trash.

Inside of the shop everything is earthen tones. The reddish brown clay colored floors pocked with dark tables that are mostly unoccupied. There's baked goods pre-wrapped and set out in a basket on the counter that was handwoven by one of the toads who owns a shop up the street. Peach rummages through it in search of something.

Mario washes his hands vigorously in the deep sink with a trickle of water so he can hear her over it and music. "Trying to find something?" He asks.

Little curly tendrils of hair brush against Peach's cheeks as she looks up from where she's bent over the basket. "Hm?" She stares at him only processing what he's said a second later. "Oh, there's these cookie things you usually have. I don't see them."

"Yeah, you know the place where we got them from stopped making them. Apparently they weren't popular." Mario shrugs before drying his hands on paper towels from the automated dispenser.

"I guess this little cake will have to do," Peach says with a sigh.

He points to the cup she still holds. "Cake's on the house. You want me to refill that?"

"Um, sure? Why do you always do that?" Peach tilts her body to the side slightly eyeing him with slight confusion.

"Do what?"

"The free stuff." Peach pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose and sniffles.

"You're always in here and you seem cool is all." Mario says as he pours her drink. He hands it back to her, smoothing his mustache down over his lip with his thumb and index finger wishing that he'd given it a trim or bothered to shave the rest of his face.

Peach puts her face down over the cup and breaths in the warm scent. "Oh. Because a lot of people assume I'm THE Peach and they get all weird around me or assume I'm a vacuous bitch that never got anywhere on her own merits." A small giggle escapes her lips before she sips the coffee. "Mmhm and that would be unfortunate."

"Assuming that you're Princess Peach?" Mario asks.

"Goodness, no. I am Princess Peach." She nods, her voice so level and confident that Mario thinks it's some elaborate joke for a split second. "I just don't want you to get all weird or think I'm stuck up when I give you my number."

Mario's arms dangle uselessly at his sides and it takes an extreme amount of concentration to keep his knees from outright buckling. Peach polishes off the rest of her coffee with hurried gulps and reaches for the front of Mario's apron, her blue eyes fixed on hers as she does. She plucks the permanent marker from its place on his strap and writes her number across the side of her cup, underneath where he wrote her name.

For a moment she holds the cup up as if to admire her handiwork. Then she brings the cup up to meet her lips and kisses it, holding her lips to the plastic for a few long seconds before pulling away to reveal a perfect lip print.

When he'd finally managing simple motor function again Mario bags the cake and hands it to her. She hands him the cup with a little smile. "Thanks again, Mario." Peach winks and walks back to her table to retrieve her book and sling her bag up onto her shoulder. "Don't forget to call me."

The bell dings as she exits the front of the cafe and strolls out into the fog laden streets of New Donk. Mario rotates the cup in his hand and stares at the number. "Heh, a real princess."


End file.
